UEL’s blueprint for inclusive economic growth

Professor Amanda J Broderick, Vice-Chancellor and President | University of East London

3 min read16 July Partner content

The UK needs new engines of inclusive economic growth. Professor Amanda Broderick, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of East London, explains how UEL’s meteoric rise in graduate entrepreneurship shows that true transformation is possible at pace

Six years ago, the University of East London (UEL) ranked 90th in the UK for newly registered student start-ups. Today, we stand at 2nd – a leap unmatched by any other institution and a testament to a bold shift in how we define, deliver, and democratise entrepreneurship.

Our progress is no fluke. It stems from a deliberate strategy that placed careers and enterprise at the heart of our institution. Launched in 2019, Vision 2028 reimagined UEL around one core question: How do we equip every student to succeed in a changing world?

A national model of entrepreneurial transformation

At UEL, entrepreneurship isn’t limited to the business school – it’s a mindset embedded across disciplines, from engineering to art, early years to AI. Students engage in hands-on, industry-connected learning that builds the problem-solving and commercial skills needed to thrive anywhere.

This has driven a 700 per cent increase in student-founded ventures, now averaging over 150 start-ups a year – including 215 in 2023/24 alone. Employment from UEL-backed businesses has grown 1,000-fold, and their combined annual turnover now exceeds £7.7m, more than doubling since 2020.

UEL was the only top-ranking university to see continued growth in start-up creation last year – a sign that our model is both sustainable and scalable.

Inclusive growth by design

As the UK’s most socially inclusive university, UEL’s enterprise model ensures opportunity reaches everyone. Our BACK:ED fund breaks from tradition, spreading grants across a wide pool of student-led ventures, including sole traders and micro-businesses.

The results: 62 per cent of BACK:ED-funded start-ups are led by women, and 77 per cent of recipients identify from the global ethnic majority.

Crucially, our impact isn’t short-lived. Since 2019, the number of graduate businesses still active after three years has increased by 1,000 per cent. In a sector where just a third of universities reported growth in enterprise survivability, UEL now ranks in the top 10.

An opportunity for government and the nation

As government looks to boost growth, close skills gaps and drive innovation, universities must be central to the response. UEL offers a proven model of how institutions can directly support UK productivity, workforce renewal, and business creation.

But entrepreneurship doesn’t flourish by accident. It requires investment in ecosystems that support the many, not just the few. Our transformation shows what’s possible when inclusion is embedded at every stage of the student journey.

That transformation has made UEL the UK’s leading university for improvement in graduate outcomes since 2017 – with the number of students securing graduate jobs within 18 months of completing their course up 25.5 percentage points in just six years.

We don’t need pilot schemes or proofs of concept – the concept works, and the outcomes are clear. Now we need a national framework to scale this impact: removing barriers, backing inclusive investment, and encouraging stronger university-business collaboration.

Universities as economic powerhouses

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 99.8 per cent of UK businesses and over £2.8tn in turnover.¹ One in four students plans to start a business while at university.²With the right support, they can be job creators, not just job seekers.

If the UK is serious about economic renewal, it must recognise the critical role of universities like UEL in developing the entrepreneurial pipeline – especially in underserved communities.

Imagine what more could be achieved if more universities – and more policymakers – joined us.

For more information, please contact publicaffairs@uel.ac.uk.